The Missing Avatar
by noellehman15
Summary: Avatar Roku was the last fire avatar, but now, the years have gone by and there is a new one around. After Aang, there was Kora, and after Kora, no one really knows. The previous Avatar hadn't even mastered all of the elements, due to his untimely death, and the world is in desperate need of the Avatar. 17 year old Marcus Rotsenworth discovers he is that Missing Avatar.
1. Chapter 1

Marcus rolled a piece of grass between his fingers and scrunched his toes in the sand. He hated Ember Island and all that was on it. He wanted to go back home and smell the candy from the shops instead of the mucky smell of the beach and the undesirables that come with it. He missed the view of the palace from his roof top and the fireworks that often came during the summer time. Summer was almost over, and he was now out of school forever. What he was going to do with his life, he didn't know, but he just wanted to be back in the capitol. He considered joining the fire sages, but the Avatar still hadn't been found, even after 17 years after the tragic early death of the Earth Avatar. No Avatar has lived long enough to master the elements since Kora, and there hadn't been a sign of the fire Avatar. Marcus thought that the Fire Avatar was killed as a child in the raids that had been happening, and that they should be looking in the Air tribes, but they continued to search for the Avatar in the fire nation.

"Marcus, hurry up, or we'll miss the fairy!" His brother cried. Marcus stood up, and burnt the leaf to a crisp, and ran onto the fairy, brushing the sand off of him as he went. He was more than happy to be leaving for home, but he was afraid, for he knew that once he made it home, he would need to look for a job. His fire bending was above par, but he could never out due his three brothers.

"Marius, what are you doing?" Marcus called, hopping onto the fairy, and taking a seat. Marius was the middle child in their overly large family. The only ones younger than him were Salium, Troillio, Rache, Vantina, and Rollie. Marcus was just older than Marius, but had his older twin brothers, Grollen and Bruno, and his older brother Hansel, and oldest sister Marlio. Marcus had so many siblings, and felt so crowded, yet so alone. The only one who he ever felt close to was Marius, because he was more of a brother than someone who was just related.

After several hours on the ocean, Marcus could see the sight of the capitol in the distance, and woke up Marius. He then went up to the top deck and blew the horn to wake up the rest of his siblings, who had all come with him to the island. Marius had finished school with Marcus, and they now had an apartment in the city, just around the corner from the palace, where his parents worked. Marcus's parents were senators om the Fire Nation council, and advised the Fire Lord, who was one of the five heads of power in the world. Marcus had often dreamed of living in the North or South pole, and marry one of the elegant water benders, but he hadn't seen a water bender since he lived in the world capitol as a child.

The fairy finally docked, and Marcus bid farewell to his siblings, and told them to send love to his parents, or nieces and nephews, and him and Marius walked on foot to their apartment in the city.

"Shouldn't you be stopping by the fire sages?" Marius asked, as he lugged his bag over his shoulder.

"I don't know. Maybe I'll just teach with you at the fire academy, until I know what I'm going to do?" Marcus said, looking at the ground.

"You know how much testing you have to do to teach at the National Fire Academy? Do you just expect for them to love you and give you a job?" Marius asked. Marius had short, dark hair that had a part to one side, and a great big flip in the middle. Marius had never been very good with women, but they did always liked the way he looked. Marcus was always worried that he was too plain looking, with his matted, curly hair, and plain eyes, and spotted freckles. Marius still had his freckles, but they were even and small, while Marcus' were random and all over his forehead and neck as well as other parts of his face and body. Marcus was also always so insecure about his large ears that stuck out of his messy hair, and his small hands that he liked to hide in his pockets. He looked over at his younger brother, who was nearly taller than him, and far more muscular. He looked at his brother's white, broad, shoulders that shimmered in the sun under his tank top and then at his own darker ones, that slumped to his sides with no muscle at all.

"I just thought that maybe at the Fire Academy," Marcus began, but Marius cut him off.

"That maybe you could have a chance at a social life? Yeah, I know. I don't understand this whole thing with you. I get the whole wanting a girl thing, because I'm right there with you, man. At least you've ever had a girlfriend. And you losing Marina was the best thing that could have happened to you. But, to get into the Academy to work is not an easy thing to do. They give you test after test after test, because they want to lock you in for life. I had to have a special test to even see if I was a real fire bender, for God's sake! They tested me in an Avatar simulator! I mean, I get that one, because you can't accidently hire the Avatar or something, but for God's sake, it's ridiculous. I barely passed and I honestly don't know anyone who can bend anything better than me. I mean, yes you're an amazing bender, and you could certainly teach there, but I don't know if you'll do alright on all of the tests."

"I can take care of it myself. I'm your older brother, remember? Besides, if a morron like you can teach there, I certainly can. And don't bring up Marina. It was only a few weeks ago, you know. I'm going tomorrow to take that damn test. End of discussion." With that, Marcus opened his apartment door, and took the stairs two at a time to head up to bed.

Marius went with him to the Academy the next morning to watch him take the test. Marcus took his time getting ready, but Marius was showered and ready to go by sunrise, as always. Marcus wore his usual training clothes, so that he wouldn't catch fire or anything, but Marius wore his tight, dark pants, and a silk red and yellow cloak tied around his middle. Again, Marcus was reminded how nice looking his brother was.

There was silence all the way to the Academy and into the doors, except one quiet, "You don't have to do this," from Marius, and a strict, "It's what I've decided," from Marcus, and that was the end of it.

Marcus walked into a dark room after signing in, and Marius went into the stands behind glass, along with many students. The entire school is invited whenever a person takes the test to teach, as to see if they are worthy of teaching them. Marius sat as close to the front as he could and fiddled with his keys in his pocket.

There was a buzz over the microphone, and Marius shifted in his seat. There was a muffled sound over the microphone that Marius couldn't quite hear, but he knew that the first test was to see if you could really Fire bend, and then how well you can, and then moral skills, and then the Avatar test.

Marcus dropped to the ground as they called out orders for what him to do. With each move, he had amazing precision, and with each blaze of fire, Marius held his breath. After a while, there was a short muffling over the microphone, and the fire stopped. There were some questions asked, and Marcus answered them, but Marius didn't hear anything. He assumed it went well, because a little green light lit up. He breathed a sigh of relief because all of the hard stuff was over.

"Now for the final portion," Marius barely heard from the Microphone, now. A table was brought in, with four boxes on it, and he knew it was the Avatar test.

Marius smiled, and began to walk down the steps out of the bleachers. Marcus put his hand over the first box, and fire blazed out of it, and Marius smiled again at his brother. It was all over now, he thought.

Marcus carelessly put his hand over the next box and looked over at Marius with a smile, but Marius' smile had faded. Water had shot out of the box and went all over the stadium. Silence filled the room, and Marius starred into the eyes on Marcus, who starred back, in terror. Marcus looked back at his hands and the water now on the floor around him. A shaky voice came over the microphone.

"Mr. Rotsenworth, please put your hand over box number 3." Marcus gulped and put his hand over the third box, and air came blowing out of it, and he removed his hand immediately, and tried to breathe normally. He put his hand over the last box, and rocks and other particles of dirt and earth came out of it. Marcus fell to the floor, but nothing happened. Marius ran over to his brother, and picked him up and held him by the shoulders.

"What's going on?" Marius said, shaking his brother slightly.

"I-," Marcus mumbled. "I think that I failed the Avatar test. I think that," but he couldn't say it. He looked up into his brothers eyes, and tried to stop shaking.

"How could you be the Avatar and we not know it?" Marius said a little too loudly.

The doors opened at the far end of the arena, and a group of people in long robes came forward. They grabbed Marcus by both arms and started to pull him very quickly out of the arena. Marius tried to go after him, but several large men in cloaks held him back. As he watched his brother being dragged away, he could no longer take it. Fire came blazing out of his fists and mouth as he screamed for them to release his most important brother. One of the men let go, and Marius burst through the door, with his brother, before they were locked behind him.

The room was bright and empty; accept for the cloaked men and a small old woman. Marius ran over to Marcus who was now shaking on the floor. "What the hell is going on?" Marius screamed. Marcus was still silent.

"Calm down, Mr. Rotsenworth. We've been waiting for your brother for some time." The old woman said. "Well, we didn't exactly know it would be your brother, but we have been waiting for him for a while."

"What are you talking about?" Marius yelled, his fingers tangled in his brother's curls.

"Please, calm down. My husband was never calm, and that's what killed him in the end. Ever since his death, I've been looking for the next Avatar, in every way possible. And finally, we have found you." The older woman smiled, and walked over to Marcus who was still on the floor. She helped him up and held his hand. Marius starred, frightened, but Marcus stayed quiet and clam, and stopped shaking. He looked into the eyes of the older woman, and she smiled at him. She wasn't too old, just old enough to be a parent, maybe barely a grandparent.

"How can you be sure?" Marcus said.

"Avatars have the memories of the Avatars before them. My husband is in you, somewhere. Maybe if I just," she began. The older woman reached out and touched his face, and immediately, Marcus' eyes went wide and the started to glow. He lifted off the ground briefly, and then slowly descended back to the earth. He wobbled for a moment, and then started to fall, but Marius caught him and brought him back to his feet.

"What the hell was that?! I thought that only the Avatar could do that!" Marius yelled.

"I think," Marcus began. He looked over at his little brother with a stale face. "I am the Avatar."

There was silence for a long time, and Marcus looked at his brother with a determined face. After a long while, Marius nodded, and they turned to the older woman.

"What am I to do now?" Marcus said. Marius looked at his brother in amazement. He had never before seen him be so calm and responsible, let alone in a situation like this.

"You need to start mastering the four elements. Fire is obviously no problem, so we have to start on the next element right away. You're behind, Mr. Rotsenworth. You need to head to Ba-Sing-Sae." The woman said.

"What's in Ba-Sing-Sae?" Marius asked.

"The world's greatest Earth Bender. I recommend the fire sages go with you, but that is up to you. They are here to serve you, Avatar." The woman said.

The fire sages bowed to him, and Marcus starred, lost, at the men on the floor around him.

"Thanks, but I'd rather just go with my brother." Marcus said, trying to now ignore the bowing around him.

"Very well, but I'm warning you, once the world knows who you are, there is going to be a lot more of this," she gestured to the men still bowing around him.

"I'll be able to handle it." Marcus said, seeming strong now.

"Here's where you'll find her. She's young, but she's the best there's ever been. But, she is a piece of work. Don't take no for an answer, because she won't want to help you. She doesn't really like to help anyone, actually." The woman said. She smiled, and handed him an address on a piece of paper. "Good luck, Avatar. When you're done with her, I'll know, and I'll see you again." The fire sages took another bow and then left with the woman.

"So what do we do now?" Marius asked.

"I guess we go to Ba-Sing-Sae." Marcus smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

"We're never going to find her," Marius said, while lying down on the bus. He put his hand over his face and yawned. "We've been at three different Academy's in Ba-Sing-Sae and we still can't find her."

"We'll lets back track," Marcus said, fiddling with his fingers. "We went to the address the woman gave us, and she had moved to work for a boarding school, so we went there." Marcus pointed at the map, and bit the end of his pencil. Marius just sighed and ignored his brother. "From there, they told us that she was offered a job working as a fighter outside of the city, so we went there. From there, they told us that she had another job offer for more money, and took it. From that job, we found out that she quit, and moved to Ba-Sing-Sae for another job offer for a 'more peaceful environment'. Whoever she is, she clearly is very good. How old did they say she was when she graduated?"

"They said she was twelve. What does it matter? You're the Avatar. By now, it's already all over the radio and in the newspapers. You could get any Earth Bending teacher that you want. You could get any girl you want!" Marius cried. People in the train compartment were already starring at Marcus, but now, there were more than a few whispers.

"No," Marcus said, not looking away from the map, "You could get any girl you want. You already know what I want. And right now, I want to find this girl and figure out what makes her so special. I mean, everyone who has seen her bending wants her to work for them. I want to know what has been getting everyone's attention." Marcus continued to gnaw on his pencil, and fiddle with his cloak.

"Oh, that's right; you want a water bender, gentle soul for you to take care of and hold deer. Well, if you ask me, that sounds absolutely absurd. I need a strong woman who doesn't need me to do everything for her; a snake in the grass, with a heck of a body. I need a woman who I know will have my back in a fight. If she can't at least tie with me in an agniki, then I don't want her anywhere near me." Marius said, swinging his feet around and sitting up.

"I don't think it's absurd at all. And if you can find a girl like that, you let me know." Marcus paused for a moment, and then the train stopped. "Alright, we're here. We're going to look for 'The National Earth Academy'." Marcus got off of the train, and looked up from his map. Right in front of him was a tall, wide building with the cress of the Earth kingdom imbedded on the front wall.

"I think that I found it," Marius said, smirking, and rubbing his hand over the back of his neck, over his tattoos.

"Yeah, now we just have to find her," Marcus said, walking into the building. He came to a sort of lobby, with a desk and a very large woman behind it, writing something down.

"May I help you?" she said in a raspy voice without looking up.

"Yes, we're looking for a girl." Marcus said.

"Isn't everyone?" The woman said, still looking at her paper.

"No, a specific girl." Marius said. "She is young, and teaches here. He's the Avatar, and we were told she is the best for him to learn from."

"Oh yes, I thought I recognized you. Fire bender from the Fire capital, right? Yes, she's here, although, she probably won't teach you. She chooses all of her students personally. She's a bit difficult. Never turns in her paperwork on time." Marius and Marcus exchanged a hopeful look.

"Can you tell us where she is?" Marcus asked.

"She'll be in the training room. It's the last room on the third corridor hallway. Classes have just started up for the semester, but she trains herself year round, so she'll be there alone. If she kills you, we're not liable, you know." The large woman said, giving Marcus a glance over her glasses, and looking him up and down. Without another word, she went back to her writing, and frowning.

Marcus and Marius found the training room, and Marcus took a deep breath before walking in. The room seemed empty, accept for many mirrors, and some bars and boxes of powder chalk. Marcus thought back to the training he did back in school, and wondered how young she really was. They shut the door, and then they noticed a girl stretching on one of the beams in front of them. She had her leg up, practically above her head, and leaning on it. She didn't wear any shoes, and had very short shorts on, and a short tank top, with her long brown hair pulled into a bun behind her head, and stands of hair dangling on her forehead.

"Excuse me, but do you know where we could find a teacher. She's supposed to help me learn Earth bending." Marcus said. "You see, I'm-" but she cut him off.

"I know who you are, Avatar. It's only been a few days, and I'm already sick of hearing your name on the radio. This man, however, I am very interested in." She put her leg down and turned around to face them. She wasn't very tall, and she couldn't have been any older than Marius. Marcus couldn't help but starring at her smooth legs and obvious curves.

"Me?" Marius said, looking down at her with a smirk.

"I want to know why a handsome fire bender like yourself is touring with the Avatar." The girl said. She had walked over very closely to Marius, who refused to move back. Marcus shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm his brother, and I came with him to find the world's greatest Earth bender, who I can only assume is yourself. And you're not so bad looking yourself. How old are you?" Marius said, with a smirk.

"17, the same age as yourself. And I won't train the Avatar. Sorry, but I don't teach, I mentor. If he can't even move a rock, then I have too much to teach him. Besides, there's nothing in it for me." She said, looking Marius up and down, with her hands on her hips, and a smile on her rosy cheeks.

"What makes everyone want you so bad?"

"Most people, it's because I found a new way of bending, and I think that you want me for a whole different reason." Marius smiled wide now, and Marcus shifted again.

"Well maybe, you should put your money where your mouth is."

"I'm listening."

"You and I go head to head. If I win, you come with us and teach my brother everything that you possibly can. But if you win, which you won't, we'll give you anything you want." Marius said. She paused for a moment.

"Anything?" She said, playfully.

"Anything." She smiled, then stood on her toes, and whispered into Marius' ear. He smiled, and laughed briefly, and then nodded. They shook hands, and Marius winked at his brother.

"Come with me," she said, and left the room. Marcus went to go talk to Marius, but he had already followed the girl out of the room. They walked with her along the corridor and out of the building into a very large field in the back. Surrounded by trees and grass, the girl took down her hair, and rolled her toes in the Earth. "Here is good." Marcus took several steps back, and sat down on a nearby bench. He wiggled his leg and twiddled his thumbs in anticipation. Marius took off his cloak and shirt, and put it on the bench next to his brother.

"Don't worry, I've got this," Marius whispered to his brother. Marcus just nodded slowly.

"Are you ready?" Marius said, stretching his arms.

"Are you?" The girl said.

"What's your name?" Marius asked, getting into his stance.

"Serena. Yours?"

"Marius!" He yelled, and threw a ball of fire right at her head. Serena dove out of the way, and landed gracefully on the grass. She didn't move, and Marius watched her for a moment before charging forward. Marius jumped into the air, swinging fire as he went, but all Serena did was move aside. Fire spread around her feet, but just far enough that it did not burn her.

"Well, you've certainly mastered how to see with the Earth, but can you move it?" Marius said, shooting lightning at her feet. Serena gasped and suddenly disappeared. Marius looked around in confusion.

"Where'd she go?" Marcus called, standing up. Serena then popped gently out of the ground, and landed behind Marius.

"Come on! Show me why you think you're too good to train my brother! Why does everyone want you?" Marius screamed in anger. Serena smiled and flew forward by kicking the ground behind her. She landed on top of Marius, pinning him to the ground. Marius was not only surprised, but terrified.

"You want me to show you what I can do?" She said, with a smirk that burned through his skin.

She jumped up and Marius immediately got to his feet, ready for anything. Only, he wasn't ready for what she could really do. She stood up and spread her arms out, smiling wildly. She felt the wind go through her hair, and the earth beneath her toes. Marcus and Marius exchanged a look of confusion, and then looked back at Serena. She flung her arms forward, and suddenly there was a tangled mess of grass and vines surrounding Marius. He quickly burnt them off, but more came and bound his arms to his side. Marcus called out for him and ran out onto the field, but was quickly knocked down to the ground.

"People don't think about all of the earth in the world. You want to know why I quit all of those jobs? I was tired of all the benders who think they've learned everything. People don't think about all of the earth to bend. Grass, trees, vines, everything natural is earth." Serena shouted, throwing Marcus off the field, and throwing Marius to the ground. The plants all dropped, and Marcus ran onto the field. Marius laid on the ground, gasping for air, and Serena jumped on top of him. He looked up at her, and she pinned him to the ground with a smirk. Everything was sill.

Serena reached into Marius' pocket and leaned down and had her lips gently pressed against his ear. "I win. It was nice meeting you, but clearly I'm too much for you." She pulled a small sack out of his pocket, and stood up, and walked away. Marcus ran up to his brother, and knelt beside him. After realizing that they were both alright, Marius sat up.

"How the hell did she do that?" Marius asked.

"She feels the earth; all of the earth. She is absolutely amazing. I have to learn from her." Marcus stood up and started to walk away, but then turned back to Marius. "What did she take from your pocket anyway?"

"What she won. She bet me that if she won, she would get all the money I had in my pocket for a celebratory drink. I assumed that she meant with me, but I guess not. She's gutsy." Marius said, smirking.

Marcus smiled, and ran into the building, looking around the hallways. He then saw Serena putting her hair back into a bun, and walking through a door, with a large bag over her shoulder. Marcus ran through the door and grabbed he shoulder and turned her around.

"Serena; please," Marcus said. Serena sighed and shifted her weight onto one side and folded her arms.

"What?" She said. "I won, and that was the deal. You don't have what it takes to learn from me. Go find some ordinary earth bender." She turned to leave but Marcus ran in front of her. She sighed again.

"I can learn from you."

"I beat your brother."

"You didn't beat me."

"Your brother could beat you."

"I don't care."

"What do you care about?"

"You."

"Why?"

"Because I need you!" Marcus screamed. Serena stood quietly. Marcus put his hands on his hips and sighed. "I don't know what I'm doing. I need to become the Avatar very quickly. Look, I know people don't talk about it, but we need an Avatar."

"Why would we need one? There isn't a war or anything."

"The hell there isn't. There have been raids and riots against the benders. People don't talk about it, because it hasn't been a large problem because there hasn't been a fully realized Avatar since it was in the water tribes. It's kept quiet because no one likes to see the problem. You of all people would know that."

Serena paused for a moment, and put her hands on her hips. "What do you mean?"

"I see the tattoos on your back. My brother can't read it, but I can. It means 'never forgotten' in Mandarin. The only place that still speaks that is a small island off the coast of the Earth Kingdom called Kioshi Island, which is now in ruins. It's dedicated to Avatar Kioshi, and was mostly destroyed in a raid five years ago, which is when you finished school there. Your family was killed there, weren't they?" Marcus said. Serena remained quiet for a while, and then folded her arms again.

"It was my mother. She was such an amazing bender. One day, there was a raid on the island, and she told me to go with my dad while she tried to defend the people who were still fleeing. She was taken down by the protesters. They said that benders were oppressing them by taking the jobs they needed. They said that benders should stick to jobs that only they could do. Kioshi Island is mostly fishermen and merchants, some of who are benders. They didn't like that Earth benders were on the water. My mother died because there wasn't an Avatar there to help us." She paused again. "My father and brothers now live in the city. They are benders too, but they aren't quite like me."

"Please, you're the one I need to teach me. Sure there wasn't an Avatar around then, but there is now. Do you want the riots to keep happening? They will if you don't stop it. I need you." Marcus said. She shifted her weight again.

Serena grabbed Marcus' cloak and pulled him close to her face. "Fine, I'll teach you, under certain circumstances. One, while I'm teaching you, you do everything I say, no matter what." Marcus gave a very frightened nod.

"Two, you will start immediately to get rid of the bending protesters. You can do something as the Avatar, I don't care what, but something! Three, you have to come with me to convince my family to let me go with you. I'm an adult, but that doesn't mean that I'm allowed to just to gallivanting off with two strange men. And three, you keep that brother of yours in line or I'm going to have to kick his ass. He's cute as hell, but he needs to know when someone is just better than him. I would also like to receive some sort of payment. Not necessarily in money, but if I happen to knock a building down, you'll be paying for it. Got it?" Marcus nodded very quickly in response, and she let go of his shirt.

Marcus walked back outside to his brother, who was putting his shirt back on. Serena came out with him.

"She's decided to teach me, on some conditions." Marcus said, clasping his brothers shoulder with his hand.

"Conditions? Like what?" Marius said, smiling and jumping up.

"Like, next time you flirt with her, know that she can totally kick your ass," Marcus said. Marius smiled again, and turned to face Serena, with his arm around his brother.

"You remember how I promised to tell you when I found that snake in the grass that I want to be with?" Marius said.

"Uh, yeah," Marcus looked over at his brother.

"Well, I found her."


	3. Chapter 3

"Where are we going?" Marius said, for the 10th time.

"We're going to Serena's home to talk to her family about her coming with us." Marcus said.

"Well, couldn't she just leave anyway?" Marius lay down on the train and crossed his arms over his face.

"Ignore my brother; he's never been big on family. Neither of us has really." Marcus said.

"Yeah I heard you have a lot of siblings. I do, but they're all older than me, and they all live fairly close, and they're all guys. I sent a message to them to be at my place for dinner. They're all benders like me. Well, not quite like me, but they all have jobs using their bending." Serena said, sitting next to Marcus and looking down at Marius.

"We don't have a lot of siblings. There are only 11 of us." Marius said, moving his arms to see her. "And are you ever going to give me my money back?"

"Only 11? And no, I won it fair and square. And I only have six older brothers."

"Only 6?" Marius exclaimed sitting up strait. "And you live with your father?"

"Yes, 6. And yes. I moved back in when I got a job in the city to watch him. He hasn't been the same since mum died. She kept everything together, so when I moved back in the city, I knew he could use some help."

Marius leaned over to Marcus and whispered in his ear. "How the hell am I supposed to get her to fall for me when she has 6 guys she can kick the shit out of?" Marcus chuckled.

"Well, that seems like a personal problem. If you ask me, she's too much for you." Marcus whispered back.

Marius looked at Serena who was staring out the window, and turning three rocks in her hand. "No, she's perfect. She's all woman!" Marcus chuckled again, and the train stopped.

"We're here. My apartment is just up the road." Serena said, jumping off the train. The boys followed. "One of my brothers works for the train company, actually."

"Really? What does he do?" Marius asked, moving Marcus so that he was only inches away from her.

Serena stopped and waited for the train to move by. She then pointed to the back of the train, where two earth benders were gently gliding it along the tracks.

"Earth benders run the trains?" Marius asked.

"Yeah, it's what the people want. After the rebellion reached the city, the trains were forced to shut down, and there was mass hysteria. Then, when things started to clear up, they came back on, and only earth benders could work there, so the other jobs would be open for those who can't bend. One of my brothers used to work as a carpenter, but now he works on the trains. He likes his job. It's not hard but he sometimes works long hours. It's better than him keeping his old job and us finding his body in some ally." She stopped at a tall apartment building, and opened the door.

"They'll all be up there. I told them I had a surprise, but them meeting the Avatar is going to be a bit of a shock. So, while I change and shower, I suggest you let someone else do most of the talking." Serena told Marcus, and then glanced over at Marius. "And you, just shut up. You're cute but you need to not open your mouth." Marius smirked, and they followed her inside.

When they got up to the apartment, Serena threw her bag on the table and called out, "I'm home, and I brought guests!" Then, there was a noise in the other room, and 6 very large men came bursting into the front room.

"Seri!" They all cried, and the biggest one ran and picked her up off the ground by her waist and then they all crowded around her in mid-air and she laughed and attempted to hug them back.

"Put me down!" she cried, but the large man picked her up over his shoulder and spun her around.

"Our little sister is all grown up and teaching at the most primitive school in the whole Earth Kingdom! How could I possibly put her down?" The man said, twirling her around. Marcus ducked and Marius hit the floor to avoid her flailing feet.

"Hassan, put me down!" She laughed, and then two large leafs from the plant in the corner wrapped around both of his arms, and released her, and she dropped gracefully to the floor.

"Who's this?" One of the guys said, gesturing to Marcus and Marius.

"That's what my surprise is. I'd like you all to sit down, and don't have me make you." Serena said. They all sat down with confused but smiling faces. Another man came into the room with grey and dark hair similar to all of the boys.

"Hello darling," he said.

"Dad, have a seat. Everyone, I have some news. This is Marius and Marcus Rotsenworth from the Fire Nation. He's the Avatar and he needs an Earth Bending teacher. They've asked me to come along with them and teach him, and I've agreed, under certain circumstances." She said, fiddling with her fingers.

"Oh my God," one of the men said, after a long pause. "You just get all the great opportunities don't you?" He stood up and embraced her, laughing. "Our baby sister is teaching the bloody Avatar!"

"We're so proud of you!" Another said, as he too embraced her. "When do you leave? Will you need anything?"

"Hold on! Don't I get a say in this?" Her father said, from behind the mass of boys crowding Serena.

"Dad, of course you do. But, this is a great opportunity for me, and it would mean a lot." Marcus and Marius exchanged a look, and then Serena's father walked over to them. He leaned in close to Marcus and looked him up and down. Marcus smiled up at him, and he nodded. Then he got very close to Marius who nearly fell over, and he sighed and shook his head.

"You're sure this is what you want to do? And you'll be careful and protect yourself at all times?" He said. His voice wasn't very deep, but the sincerity was intimidating.

"Yes," she said timidly.

"Then you may go, under one condition. You will write to me once a week at least and let me know where you are, and if you're alright. And, if you need anything, you let me know, and we'll be right there." He said. She smiled, and shot across the room to hug him, and her brother's surrounded her again.

"This calls for a celebration! Donnie, why don't you send word and reserve a table? My daughter's the finest Earth Bender in the world, so let's give her a proper goodbye !" Serena's father said, and the guys all cheered.

Serena soon left to go take a shower and change, which left Marius and Marcus alone with her father and six very large brothers'.

"So, who are all of you?" Marcus asked, sitting on a small couch next to Marius, facing the rest of them, who had somehow made their own chairs.

"I'm Donnie, I'm 20, just older than Seri. I work for the king, helping build on to refugee camps in the city." Said a tall man, who was more slender than the rest of them, but still packed with muscle. "This is Angelo, who is 23 and he works on the trains." He gestured to a tan man with large leg muscles and biceps with very short hair. "That's Maurice and Gunter who are 24 and both work at the factory just outside of the city. That's Yohan, who is 25 and he works in the coal mines. And lastly, this is Hassan, the eldest, who is 27 and builds bridges for the city. We all live just outside of the city to try to keep away from the riots, so we don't see Serena very often. We're glad that she is making use of her life by helping the Avatar. She was always the best bender, even when we were kids. She practically mastered it before any of us even finished school." Donnie had bright blue eyes, unlike his brothers who all had soft hazel ones, and Serena, who had deep brown ones. But, they all had very dark hair, with some grey spots in it and many of them had tattoos all over their body, like Serena.

"It sounds like she means a lot to you," Marius said.

"She is an inspiration to us all. After the attack on the island, we were all afraid to do anything with our bending, but she decided to become the greatest Earth Bender in the world, as a tribute to our mother, who was a teacher. There isn't a person in the Earth Kingdom who doesn't know her name. There was even a banquet at the palace last year to commemorate her for teaching the Earth King's son, who no one had gotten to even so much as move a rock for them." Hassan said, smiling at them.

"None of you are jealous of her?" Marcus said.

"Only of her bravery," Angelo said. "She did what all of us feared to do. And she was never afraid. Our mother would have been proud. Although, I'm surprised that she agreed to go with you two."

"Well, she didn't agree at first," Marcus said.

"Oh, I see. Which one of you two's asses did she kick?" Donnie asked. Marcus and Marius both exchanged looks and then Marius sighed and held up his hand.

"And which one of you broke down and begged you to go with her, because you desperately need her help?" Marcus sighed and raised his hand.

"How did you know?" Marius asked.

"Are you kidding me? That's how Seri works. She lets you believe that you may actually get what you want, then she gently reminds you that she could kill you, and then she ends up getting what she wants, which is usually the same thing you want, only she wanted to just kick your ass and get something else out of it."

"What would she have gotten out of this?" Marcus asked.

"Are you single?" He asked Marius.

"Yeah," Marius said, questionably.

"There you go. She has gone as high as her career can go. My guess is that she has run out of games to play, since she's the best and wants a new challenge."

"A new challenge?"

"She has only ever cared for her family. Maybe she wants something new. Or, in my opinion, someone new." Marius looked at him and cocked his head sideways in confusion.

Donnie sighed. "She's never dated anyone, and now that she has done all she can already in the rest of her life, she is ready to go onto a new aspect. And by new aspect, I mean someone like you." The guys all laughed and Marius and Marcus exchanged looks, but decided to discuss it later.

Serena soon emerged into the room, this time in a shirt that showed her shoulders, and went down, nearly to her fingertips, and cut off mid-torso, and a thin strapped shirt underneath that cut off just above her belly button, revealing yet another tattoo on the small of her back. Her shorts went to her mid-thigh and were nearly skin tight and as dark as her undershirt, and had bots that went to her knees. Her hair was pulled back into a bun with her bangs dangling on the right side of her forehead and two long curly strands in front of both ears. She rocked back and forth on her feet as she put on a short pearl necklace that looked tight against her neck, but rested easily.

"I'm ready to go whenever you losers are," she giggled, and her brothers all walked out the door, shortly followed by her father. Marcus hung around the door, as Serena put in what looked like pearl earrings, and Marius walked over to her. "Don't worry, we'll leave after dinner. I'm not sure where you and your brother plan to go, but I'm alright with a little adventure."

"You, umm, look, umm," Marius stumbled.

"You alright there? I know it's not much, but I wear the same basic clothes. Is this alright or do you think I should change?" Serena said, looking down at herself and adjusting her clothes.

"No," Marius said a little too quickly. "Don't change, you look great. I mean, you always look great, but now," Marius stopped, and Serena giggled.

"I guess you're not as smooth as you thought you were." Serena giggled again, and hopped out the door.

"Dude," Marcus said. "You need to get some game."

Dinner was loud, due to Serena's many brothers bragging about how much dirt they moved in the past week, and Serena mostly smiled and looked quietly around. Marius had never seen an Earth bender so strong in battle, yet so graceful in everything that she did. Every few minutes, Serena would look up, and Marius would quickly look away and start talking to one of her brother's, and Serena would look down at her bowl and smile.

By the end of the meal, her brother's had eaten more than all of the other tables at the restaurant combined, and were ready to go home and crash. They all left to go to the docks for a while, and were about to leave the restaurant, but Serena stopped them.

"What is it?" Serena's dad asked, as she clenched his arm.

"Something's wrong," she said, looking behind her.

"What is it?" Hassan whispered, leaning in closely.

"There are people who walk more heavily in the back room of the restaurant than before. I can feel it in the Earth. Someone's here, wearing something heavy and metal, like armor. And whoever it is isn't a bender, they don't walk with any energy. I think it's someone here for Marcus." Serena said. Marius and Marcus gave each other a worried look.

"There has been talk in the mines," Yohon said, bending down to Serena's level. "They talk about how bad they feel for the Avatar, because of all of the riots. Then, one of the guys says that he knows a few non-benders who wouldn't mind a good shot at the Avatar."

Marcus stepped back a bit and looked around. Serena suddenly grabbed Hassan's arm, and whispered in his ear just loud enough for Marcus and Marius to hear. "We need to get them out of here. You know the risks, but the Avatar is more important. You know what we need to do." Hassan looked up at her, gave her a tight hug, and whispered back in her ear.

"We'll do anything for our cause. Be safe," Hassan said. Serena turned around, and grabbed Marius and whispered to him so Marcus couldn't hear.

"Part of the rebellion against the benders is here. They have planned an attack for tonight, because the Avatar has been found. They're going to try to kill him, and I assume, overthrow the Earth King. There's nothing we can do to save anyone else, but we have to get the Avatar out of here. He's no longer your brother and you're no longer just a Fire bender; he's the Avatar, and you're his protector along with me. We have to get him out of here, at any cost, including your life. My family is going to help us, and there isn't anything they wouldn't do for me or for our cause. Now, you're going to listen to me, and defend Marcus at any cost, got it?" Marius looked at her and firmly nodded.

Serena grabbed Marcus' arm and started to run out the door, with her family trailing behind her. Just as they reached the arch of the exit, an explosion knocked everyone but Serena to the floor. Serena stood above Marcus, pulling him up to his feet, and brushing off the dust out of his curly hair from the debris she didn't block from the wall she had made between him and the crash.

"Marius, are you alright?" She said, pulling him off the ground.

"Yeah, I'm alright, and so is your family. I can't see anything!" Marius said. As Serena pulled him up, and dusted off his shoulders.

"Well, we can," Serena said. She burst through the wall, her hand around Marcus' wrist. She pulled him outside, and stopped in the street. The road was lined with torches and hundreds of men in masks were standing with swords unsheathed.

"Who's this?" Marcus said.

"It's the coup," Serena said. "We've got to get you out of the city. I know somewhere we can go. My brother's and father can take care of this." She hugged her father tight, and then grabbed Marcus again, and started to walk away. Then, Serena's father grabbed Marius and whispered in his ear.

"Take care of her, please. She's all we have left." Marius looked startled and just vaguely nodded. Serena then grabbed the both of them and hurtled away down the road. After about a block, she slowed down, and Marius could hear fighting in the distance, and turned his head to see the glow of fire over the buildings.

"How are we going to get out of the city?" Marcus asked.

"Every Avatar has his spirit guide, and I know where we can get the only fire spirit animal in the whole Earth kingdom, and the only free one in the whole world." Serena said, opening a large door to the side of a building, and walking inside. She pulled the door shut behind them, and took a look around. There was only one item in the room, and it had a large tarp over it. She pulled it off and there was a broken down car under it. She then started to push the car to the other side of the very large room, and Marcus and Marius helped her. Under where the car was, there was a trap door, and she started to open it.

"Avatar Aang found two of them when he was a child, and after he became a fully realized Avatar, he went back and found a way to breed them. One of his friends was a very well-known Earth bender that I'm related to. When I was ten, we came here for a funeral for my Grandmother, who left me the animal, hoping that as the only girl, I would be the one who would be gentle enough to take care of it. It's the third in the line, and is still in adolescence. It's family is hidden in other parts of the world, but this one was specifically given to me, because it likes plants. Marcus, meet your new spirit guide, a grass Dragon. I call him Uaithene, or Uni."

She lifted up the trap door, and jumped down, pulling both of them down with her. Marcus and Marius screamed a little as they were face to face with a large dragon in a wide room beneath the building. Marius jumped back against the wall, but Marcus just laid there.

"While he does love the grass, being raised in the Earth Kingdom, he is still a dragon, and reacts well to fire. If he likes your fire, you can ride him, if he doesn't, well he'll probably kill you." Serena stepped back and stood next to Marius, who was still breathing heavy, against the wall.

"Well, what a man," Serena whispered to Marius and giggled.

Marcus stayed on the ground, his back arched and his elbows supporting him. After about a minute, he got to his knees, and looked into the eyes of the dragon. He held his arm out, and incased it in fire. He continued to stare into the eyes of the dragon as he reached his hand forward. Marius held his breath, but Marcus remained calm. The moment his hand touched the dragon, steam blazed out of his nostrils and he scooped Marcus up. Marius ran forward, but Serena held him back with little effort. The dragon flung Marcus into the air, and he landed on Uni's back. Marcus laughed and Serena ran over and climbed on the dragon's back, dragging Marius along with her.

Marcus sat at the front of the dragon, with Marius near the middle and Serena right behind him. "Don't you two want to see the view?" Marcus said, as the dragon stood up.

"I've helped raise this damn dragon, so I know that it isn't an easy ride!" Serena said, looking down.

"And it scares the hell out of me!" Marius said. Marcus smiled.

"So, where exactly are we going?"

"Kioshi Island," Serena said. With that, Uni flapped his wings, and flew up to trap door, out the building and up into the sky. As they were leaving the city, Serena clenched Marius tight, and put her head on his shoulder. Marcus looked back at them, and Marius just smiled.

As they were on the edge of the city, they saw flames at the palace. "It looks like we're the ones who are in the rebellion now."


	4. Chapter 4

Marcus stood up and stretched on the back of Uni. He turned round and smiled down at his brother.

"You seem happy," Marcus said. Marius looked down at his shoulder, where Serena was sleeping quietly.

"I think she likes me," Marius said, smirking. Marcus rolled his eyes.

"I think she's brilliant but absolutely crazy. She owned a dragon. From what I knew, they were extinct." Marcus walked down the back of the dragon and let the fingers slide through the clouds.

"Would you sit down? I don't understand how you could stand on top of this thing." Marius gently stroked Serena's dark hair that blew in the wind.

"Serena said herself this could be my spirit animal. Something happened last night. This animal understands me somehow, and I trust him. It's like he's a part of me." Marcus gently stroked the back of Uni, and mumbled encouragements. Uni made purring like noises.

"Whatever; I still say this beast isn't safe. It saved your life, but it isn't safe."

"That girl isn't safe. She's absolutely crazy! She met the Avatar, someone who she has been secretly waiting for and risked her and her family's life for, but the first thing that she does is to flirt with some stranger with muscles."

"Hey, I'm a cute stranger. And so what if she's crazy? I want crazy!"

"You have this obsession with finding the strongest girl. You need to find her so that you can find someone who can be as strong as you. You just don't want to bother to take care of someone."

"You're one to talk. You have always talked about finding that beautiful water bender because they're so full of grace and innocence. You want someone you have to take care of."

They were both quiet for a moment, and then Marcus looked over at his brother. "Who do you think she meant when she said she was related to a friend of Avatar Aang?" Marius looked up at him.

"I've been thinking about that. It had to be an Earth Bender, and even though her family all works in low paying jobs, they were very nicely dressed. They're rich. The only rich Earth bender I can think of from the history books would be Toph Beifong."

"You're right, and she did have a daughter, who became chief of police; maybe when she said grandmother, that's who she meant. She could be the great-granddaughter of Toph Beifong. But then why would she be living on Kioshi Island? If she was a Beifong, she would be somewhere either outside the Earth Kingdom or in a more rich environment for better Earth bending training."

"I've thought about that too, and when she fell asleep I checked her bag. Her passport doesn't read Serena Beifong. It says Serena Kioshi-Beifong; her last name is both of her parent's names. She is not only the ancestor of Toph Beifong, but is also the ancestor of Avatar Kioshi. She said her mother was born on the Island and so had she." Marius and Marcus looked at each other for a while in surprise.

"It took you longer than most people," a small but strong voice said. Marius looked down, and Serena was looking up at him with her dark eyes and a smirk on her face. She moved her head so her chin rested on his shoulder.

"We thought you were asleep," Marcus said softly.

"I woke up somewhere around 'I wasn't crazy'," she smiled. The boys both starred at her and she pulled her hair back with the two curly strands running down her face.

"You weren't meant to hear that," Marius said, looking away from her.

"Don't worry; I like those who like crazy." Marcus smiled, and then started to walk back to the head of the dragon.

"We'll be at the inner wall soon," Serena said, standing up, a little wobbly. Marius stood up and tightly gripped the spikes on the spine of Uni.

"What's on Kioshi Island now anyway? I heard it was all pretty much destroyed when the riots started." Marius said, trying not to look down. Marcus chuckled.

"There are benders there in hiding, trying to get away from the oppression. We'll be safe there; they trust me." Serena said.

"What's not to trust? You're the center of the two most powerful families in Earth Kingdom history. Any more power would make you more known than the Earth King. Then again, you hush it all up. Why is that?" Marcus said, gently stroking Uni.

"It's so that I don't have people against benders cutting my head off." Marcus fell silent, and Marius frowned.

"Look, the inner wall!" Marius called, and they all rushed to the front of the dragon."

The moment the wall was in full view, Serena gasped and immediately fell into tears. Marius and Marcus just starred. The walls were lit with fire, and on the side, painted in deep red were the words "The Earth King has fallen. Benders have oppressed us, and now they will be extinct." Marius stroked Serena's back gently and Marcus starred at her.

"What does that mean? Why would they do this?" Marcus said.

"It's to take down the Benders. Everyone knows that the Earth King was the biggest supporter for our cause, because his son was a bender. I taught him. I bet he's dead now, too." Serena broke into even more sobs. "He was so young. I helped him bend, so that he could understand why the riots are so bad. Once he got started, he became so good. Even at such a young age, he had a passion for the people, and hoped to be the one to end all of this madness. Now he's gone, and the Earth Kingdom is in shambles. I bet the other major cities in the other nations were attacked, too."

"But what does that mean?" By then they had reached the outer wall. On the side, painted in the same dark red were the words "The Avatar will fall, and only we will remain". Serena gasped again.

"What is it?" Marius said.

"The words, they're written in blood; the blood of the benders." Serena continued to cry. "I don't know if any of my brothers are still alive. I'll have to send word once we get out of Ba-Sing-Sae."

"What does all of this mean?"

"It means, we're the ones who are the rebellion now."


End file.
